Tuesday, August 31, 2010

SINCE FOLKS kindly commented on the vision issues I mentioned in my previous post, I wanted to add a small clarification about what I wrote. Like many, I am increasingly near sighted and have had floaters for years. Floaters are common (and as I understand it) usually due to harmless bits of broken gel behind the eye that the brain, in time, can actually forget is there. My floaters increased significantly, however, after a torn retina to one eye over a year ago. Since then, the other eye has also had an increase in visual anomalies … but no torn retina. The best guess is that my most recent and differing anomalies are due simply to more debris from detaching gel. In addition, the fluorescein angiogram I had showed drusen deposits. Although this can signal macular degeneration development, my doctor suggested I need not fear this potential visual impairment any time soon and quite possibly never. We all treasure our eyesight but when it is threatened, gratitude for life’s visual wonders (and excellent eyewear) overflows.

Monday, August 30, 2010

LONG LIFE is what we all wish for knowing it is more possible when health is at its best. As questions of wellbeing come up, visits to Vancouver General Hospital and its enclave of buildings dealing with specific health issues seem inevitable. This includes the UBC Eye Care Centre near where the “Long Life Pl” street sign is and where my husband drove me to doctor appointments.

To get there, we went over the Oak Street bridge from where I saw a distant coastal mountain that looked much like an island floating in the clouds.

We arrived early so had time to explore the neighborhood.

First we had to park the car, however, which is expensive near the hospital. The cost can be about $15 for two hours. Since appointments sometimes take longer due to minutes (even hours) of waiting, it gets pricey. We were glad to find a parking lot nearby that charged $12 for the day.

Enjoying the sights, we discovered Vancouver City Hall just a few blocks from the hospital buildings.

There were lots of pretty flowers along the way. These Impatients are often the first to arrive in summer and the last to leave.

We saw modern architecture mingling with older buildings.

Of course, there is always new construction going on downtown.

Incorporating older and newer buildings works nicely in areas such as this where two distinctly different looks created the appealing City Square Mall.

Inside the mall there were many shops to explore and places to eat.

Prized fruit from local BC farms were displayed like works of art.

There were bouquets and plants of all sorts that begged to be taken home.

Mannequins tempted passersby with their charming outfits.

When I entered the building for my first appointment, I found many artistic renderings covering the walls. This portion of a work by BC artist Peter Winterhalter-Aspell, painted in 1987, gave me a little fright.

My photograph does not do justice to this gorgeous painting by Maria Sammarco donated to the Eye Care Centre. It gave me a lift as I went through various tests that took hours to complete, including a fluorescein angiogram. In the end, I found good news mixed with inconclusive results.

I walked to the car under an archway of trees appreciating all the wonders around me. Although it's unlikely I have blocked vessels in back of my eyes, I am left with some unexplained issues. But thankfully there have been no new tears to my retina or new floaters to plague me. Having had poor vision since childhood, my ability to see the world is valued beyond treasure.

In the mirror, I saw the sun trying to break through as we headed home. I looked past the clouds and enjoyed the view.

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

IT WAS AN AWARD WINNING blue-skies day but I didn’t find time to sit on the lounge chair in my backyard. There hasn’t been a heavy rainfall yet so a watering of the plants and trees was required. Warm as it was, I felt fall nearby and I could see the crimson leaves were saturated with colour as they normally are a few weeks before they drift into memories of summer.

Monday, August 23, 2010

PINK AND BLUE CLOUDS of cotton candy, sizzling hot donuts and deep-fried onions don’t sound very nutritious. But the whiff of sweet aromas from diverse food offerings at the Pacific National Exhibition always conjures up yummy memories.

It isn’t Disneyland … but the annual PNE in Vancouver, BC, does provide family fun that is treasured throughout the years. Wild carnival rides, games of chance, art and entertainment (including concerts, eco-sculptures, dog shows and the legendary RCMP Musical Ride) fill the city air from August 21st to September 6th.

That the event marks its 100th year is incredible, indeed, since the location of the exhibition at Hastings Park, as well as the exhibition concept itself, have been frequently challenged. When the brochure came to my door I marveled at how the event has survived and thrived. I also realized that some serious rain will likely fall in the southwest as it often does when the PNE comes to town. Rain or shine I was inspired to look through some family photos taken at the fair in years gone by and found this pretty lady posing in an olden day costume with an umbrella. Although the picture was taken more recently at a photo studio set up at the fair grounds, this could be how people dressed when the PNE first arrived in Vancouver a century ago.

Thursday, August 19, 2010

THIS ILLUSTRATION by my daughter reminds me that family and friends come inmany shapes, sizes, shades and species. A heartwarming video seen by millions (after the commercial) about a bond between an elephant and dog is also a reminder. The friendship between Tara and Bella seems strange. But it is definitely not as odd as empathizing with an insect.

What looks like a pin on the television reporter's lapel is a miniscule moth often found in clothes closets. I took its picture remembering a real event that resulted in a childhood poem about a moth I spared after having second thoughts. When a solitary bug creeps, crawls or wings into view, its existence hangs at the whim of human hand-swatting powers. We are like the man with the moth or the elephant with the dog. Although we can crush the more vulnerable, most often we should not.

NOT SO ALONE

There’s a moth asleep on the floor
Should I kill it … squash its powdery wings
For it has no soul and it chews on clothes
I will rid myself of the snoozing thing.

Yet this moth asleep on the floor
Could have a soul as big as my own
For it is alive and we breathe the same air
I will watch it dream; I will let it roam.

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

GOING DOWN A COUNTRY ROAD in Langley, BC, often leads to animal sightings. There are sheep, llama, goats, horses, dairy cows and beef cattle. Although the Holstein males suffer the ultimate fate of death, dairy cows tolerate the discomfort of heavy udders that make it difficult for them to stand.

With no breeze, shade tree nearby or cloud in the sky, the beautifully patterned cattle baked in the scorching sun. They were infested with flies that darted away as my camera approached. The animals looked at the gadget in my hand with deep curiosity.

Although their intelligence was evident, I might have misread one cow that showed particular interest in me. I spoke kindly to the cow as if it were a cat or a dog. The cow replied with a long moo that sounded like the loud wail of a bagpipe.

Tail wagging and head swaying ensued as the cattle communicated with one another and gathered closer to where I stood. Were they saying, “Get us out of here!” Or were they wondering if I brought them food or water or had come to open the gate? Maybe they sensed I enjoyed a glass of milk now and then. In the face of their discomfort, I drank in some unpleasant realities about the purpose of their existence.

Saturday, August 14, 2010

AT FIRST GLANCE it seemed as if I stumbled into a prairie wheat field when I visited Crescent Beach in South Surrey. The days are rainless and umbellas are used more as protection against the sizzling sun than showers.

The high grasses bordering the beach around Mud Bay thrived magnificently this hot summer and seemed more stately than usual above the squishy sand and puddles along the beach at low tide.

Around the corner in a peaceful alley, the scent of tangled sweet peas filled the air. Their delicious aroma brought back memories of my mom who loved to nurture flowers in her garden.

Memories of my mother sharing her floral passions with me continue to unravel and grow. It was all so magical during my childhood. The more she cut sweet peas to put in a vase, the more plentifully they grew in her garden.

Friday, August 13, 2010

POET AND ILLUSTRATOR Constance Miller once wrote: “Full many a flower is born to blush unseen. And waste its sweetness on the desert air.” Miller was inspired to catalogue the plant life she saw in Australia in the early 1900s … and she did so with hand-painted elegance. Nowadays a camera commonly unveils fleeting florals. When I spied a purplish blush on the blue hydrangea, I was not too shy to capture it with a quick click.

Thursday, August 12, 2010

WHEN EXPLORING THE WONDERS of the environment with a microscope, camera or naked eye, it is sometimes easy to find universes within universes beyond comprehension of the finite mind. Atoms and molecules are forever shifting as cells gather and transform into objects. These objects do not exist separately from the space that surrounds them. A simple flower is a collection of petals and leaves rooted to the earth and nourished by the sky where sun and rain synchronize. The hydrangea with a lacey cap in my front yard is a piece of the cosmos that cannot be measured simply or captured in a box. In gardens everywhere there are flowers amid stars and stars amid the flowers.

Monday, August 9, 2010

WE LIVE WHERE we do sometimes by choice, sometimes by birth. Some of the most compelling places on earth are the most threatening. We usually adapt, determined to carve homes in challenging environments. Whenever possible, we settle near water and food resources. We are also drawn to the beauty of the planet that is both nurturing and perilous.

The dancing raindrops on leaves, with its musical pitter-patter, is welcome in British Columbia due to weeks of unusually dry conditions causing hundreds of forest fires. Faraway in Moscow, the smoke is thick from neighboring wildfires. Experiencing an incredible heat wave, the city waits for rain.

In Pakistan, meanwhile, extreme rain flooded some areas, killing over a thousand people. Less deadly, and caused more by melting snow than monsoons, the Red River in Canada swells yearly and brings fear of flooding to the Manitoba prairies.

In southwest BC, a landslide into Meager Creek threatened lives creating a natural troublesome dam. According to earth sciences professor John Clague at Simon Fraser University, the slide can likely be traced to when warm weather melted part of a glacier. But this event becomes miniscule in light of massive mudslides, due to downpours, in heavily populated areas of China.

Near and far, whether it is global warming, problems with manmade drainage systems and dams, or the natural evolution of the earth that puts us at risk, Mother Nature can be bad-tempered in a topsy-turvy world.

Whether nestled by a field, forest, desert or ocean … perched on cliff or beneath it, Mother Nature warns us to be mindful where we hang our hats and fold our umbrellas.

PENELOPE PUDDLISMS: BC LIFE IS A WHALE OF A RIDE contains original copyrighted content inspired by Penelope (Penny) Puddle who chases away a gloomy day. Click on the book to learn about the imaginary character that motivated me to start this online journal where I share real-life West Coast scenes. Penelope Puddle illustrations are by my daughter.

TOUCH THE SEASHELL TO LINK TO "WITH MY UMBRELLA, I CAN ..."

Drawings kids make for us are priceless and in rare cases escape refrigerator doors

MY WEST COAST daughter was small when she first conjured up a painting of Penelope (Penny) Puddle and her sidekick umbrella as a gift to me, a writer who evolved the character. Penelope is an original creation that represents the youthful can-do spirit in us all. She loves the BC outdoors where she can travel from sandy beach to snowy mountaintop in a day. Penelope thrives in the rainy season when her imagination grows best. She inspired a kid's book, greeting cards and this site which allows me to explore, create and participate in the broader universe of ideas.

CLICK ON PENELOPE TO LEARN ABOUT THE PUDDLISM CONCEPT

ALL ILLUSTRATIONS, photographs and content are copyrighted and may not be reproduced in any form without expressed written permission from Maria Pavlik.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Spellbound by books early

LEARNING TO READ was not easy but once I found meaning in the letters, a gateway to books and fantastic realms opened. Now I have fun creating my own stories for kids and grownups. Childhood art and stories instill the power of possibilities. As Albert Einstein once said: "Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life’s coming attractions." He also said: "There are two ways to live: you can live as if nothing is a miracle; you can live as if everything is a miracle." I prefer the latter.

Search This Blog

BC WEATHER REPORTS

IF YOU ARE WONDERING what to wear in and around Vancouver, BC, click on the cap and umbrella for current weather conditions.

MY EUROPEAN TRAVEL TALES

CLICK ON the orange umbrella to read my European travel tales. I enjoy photography, artistic expressions that usually involve Penelope Puddle with her umbrella, and writing articles about BC as well as my travels elsewhere. When I am not “puddling” outdoors, my journey is online.

IN MY WORLD I've been thinking about the Lewis Carroll books and how our visit to the beautiful Palace of Versailles last October remind...

Tap into your inner wings

BC FAIRIES are copyrighted illustrations by my daughter. A click on the floral umbrella art sheds light on the tiny creatures.

Cystic Fibrosis

CF TAKES your breath away. Click on the t-shirt to learn more about this dreadful illness affecting children.

Traveling With Your Pet

IT’S NEVER COOL to travel with a hot dog. The occasional sweltering weather in BC reminds us that pets left in cars can suffocate from the heat in October as well as in July. Click on the pet to read this post.

All Rights Reserved

PENELOPE PUDDLISMS: BC LIFE IS A WHALE OF A RIDE contains copyrighted content. No part of its writings, concepts, illustrations and/or photographs may be reproduced in any form without expressed, written permission from the author.

PENELOPE'S GIFT OF TIME

HAVE YOU GOTTEN out of bed with a big yawn and a stretch and a niggling feeling there is something important you forgot that needed your attention yesterday? Oh, yes … that gift for someone special that you still did not get. It is a dilemma we all have faced, including Penelope who is only six and penniless. You do not have to be a parent to enjoy Penelope’s surprising discoveries as she sets off on a rainy day with her sidekick umbrella to find the perfect present for Mother’s Day. Penelope’s Gift of Time is a fully illustrated rhyming tale that effortlessly shows preschoolers and early readers how fond memories build and a sense of connectedness grows when we give of ourselves. (This 20-page story is the second in the Penelope series.)

COUCH AND COMPANY

SINK DEEP into this spellbinding tale about a little girl named Rue who tumbles down the crevice of a second-hand couch to find buttons, coins and dust balls surprisingly animated and in fear of a hot-tempered bully. The highly descriptive prose could draw out some unexpected theatrical skills from parents when dramatizing the story aloud to children. The tiny town under siege inside the sofa and its remarkable residents offer an entertaining read with a quirky lesson. It will take teamwork and creative thinking to overcome the grouch hidden in the bouncy lettuce-green couch. (Short story, no illustrations.)